China wooing foreign talent with green cards

China is seeking to attract foreign talent by issuing more green cards in an effort to promote economic and social development in the country, a media report said Monday.

A larger number of Chinese permanent residency permits were issued in 2012 than in previous years, the China Daily quoted an official as saying.

Around 1,202 permits were granted last year, up more than 83 percent from the previous year, the report quoted Zheng Baigang, head of the public security ministry’s bureau of exit and entry administration, as saying.

Most of the applicants were from the US, Japan, Canada, Australia and Germany, and were living in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, it added.

“The principle of China’s ‘green card’ regulation is to attract foreign talent to promote economic and social development and enhance international communication,” Zheng told the China Daily.

The official said that people with higher education and business experience were more likely to get the permits.